"A perfect balance of history, mystery and romance that promises further adventures in this series."

When Laurel Sutherland and her sisters were young and
residing with their uncle on their country estate, Princess
Victoria was a frequent playmate. Their ties with Victoria
end when she begins preparation to become queen. When their
uncle dies, Laurel and her siblings inherit a bookstore and
live a quiet and predictable life. Then Victoria re-enters
their world begging a favor. Her cousin, George
Fitzclarence, is talking treason. Would Laurel pretend to
be a wealthy widow, befriend George and discover how deeply
he is involved in the plot? She warns Laurel to evade
George's friend, Lord Barensforth, a know rake and
troublemaker.

Aidan Phillips, Earl of Barensforth, works secretly for the
Home Office uncovering financial frauds and keeping tabs on
George Fitzclarence, an unhappy illegitimate son of the
late king. George's talk of treason has never amounted to
anything, until he befriends a suspected traitor. Alchemy,
fraud and the murder of a magistrate send Aidan scrambling
to discover the extent of George's dealings. One young
widow steps in his way. Aidan wishes he could solve the
secrets that swirl around Laurel, but she is a distraction
he cannot afford.

Laurel enters a world foreign to her. Opulence and intrigue
surround her. The one man she was warned to avoid draws her
like a moth to a flame. They both harbor secrets and
neither will reveal their task.

In her new series, Ms. Chase delves into the political
intrigue surrounding the early years in Queen Victoria's
reign. She maintains a perfect balance of history, mystery
and romance that promises further adventures with
Victoria's secret confidants, the Sutherland sisters.

SUMMARY

Raised on their uncle’s country estate, the four
orphaned Sutherland sisters formed a close friendship with
the young Princess Victoria. Shortly before her coronation
as queen, Victoria asks the sisters to serve her in matters
requiring the utmost discretion.

They are to become her secret
servants...

Laurel, the eldest, is the first to be called. The Queen is
threatened by her jealous cousin, George Fitzclarence, who
is known for speaking treason. She asks Laurel to pose as a
wealthy widow and use her charms to win George’s trust,
then find out what he is really plotting. Laurel is
prepared for the risks of acting a part, but she encounters
an unexpected and formidable obstacle in the Earl of
Barenforth--George’s friend and a notorious rake, whom
Victoria has warned her to avoid...

An undercover agent for the Home Office, Aidan Phillips,
Earl of Barensforth, is on the trail of a financial hoax
involving alchemy, murder...and George Fitzclarence. When
a lovely young widow wanders into his path and turns his
well-laid plans on end, he senses she is hiding something.
Aidan is no stranger to seduction, or to the wiles of
beautiful women. And he intends employing wiles of his own
to uncover the lady’s secrets...